The Making of a Southern Man

What exactly makes a man? Could it have anything to do with appearance, strength, or interests? Does it occur at a specific age, or does it happen differently for every boy? Each culture decides these ideas for itself, and the American south is no different. Southern ideals shape a boy’s upbringing and guide his transition to adulthood. The father-son relationship plays an especially crucial role in the development of a white southern man.1 A male’s development has to do with his father’s example—the ideals with which his father raised him. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrate this. By comparing the way southern culture has changed over the span of roughly a century, readers can see what exactly makes a male character a man. Ultimately, the southern man is marked by the ideals of strong morals and dedication to family

A New Genre Emerges: The Creation and Impact of Dark Romanticism

Readers around the world pick up on the nuances of literature. We see the differences between genres, sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle. We can see how authors often insert their own experiences, beliefs, and personalities into their works. This makes each book unique and pleasurable while remaining similar to thousands of others. Many who study American literature know that different styles and literary movements influence authors. It is easy to see the impact of Puritan thinking in the seventeenth century or of Transcendentalism in the first few decades of the nineteenth century. Authors usually do not combine genres. However, three authors—Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville—each combine two styles, Romanticism and the Gothic, that at first glance appear radically opposite

The Dark Side of Happily Ever After

I recently had an argument with my mother, which rarely happens. We didn’t argue about my spending habits, or my post-graduation plans, or my grades, or any other typical area where a college kid might butt heads with her parents. Instead, we argued about books. After finishing Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman over spring break, I couldn’t help talking about it with the rest of my family. As we drank coffee together one afternoon, my mom asked me what made that play so special. I explained the plot to her. She looked at me for a few seconds after I finished summarizing, and asked, “So, it isn’t a comedy?” I found myself at a loss. “Well, it has some funny moments, but no. Ultimately it is a tragedy.” “Oh. Well, I don’t want to read it, then.” And with that comment, our argument began. How could she nonchalantly write off great works of literature just because they include some sad parts

Twice Upon a Time: The Retellings of Fairy Tales for Contemporary Audiences

If anyone had seen me binge-watching ABC\u27s Once Upon a Time (a television adaptation of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and more) during my freshman year of college, they undoubtedly would have said I was wasting my time. In fact, I probably would have agreed with them--there were far better things for a busy English and mass communications double major to do in her free time. I didn\u27t realize then that I was actually in the process of developing what would become my research passion for the next four years. For my final research essay in Composition 1, my professor, Dr. Johnny Wink, had us choose a topic from a long list he created. I chose The Disneyization of Fairy Tales. I had grown up loving Disney, and thought I might as well tie my essay into one of my favorite television shows. My essay focused on Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Frog, and Frozen, comparing the Disney movies to the original stories. I thoroughly enjoyed writing about fairy tales and got my paper back with a near-perfect score. When it came time to choose my honors directed study--in essence, a semester-long research project--I thought back to that essay and knew I wanted to learn more about fairy tales and adaptations. A year later, this thesis grew out of my directed study. I think it safe to say that my thesis would never have come about had I not decided to watch a cheesy television series. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved Disney\u27s adaptations of fairy tales. Something about the magic and the messages has continued to capture my imagination and stick with me through the present day. However, as people grow older, they tend to start regarding fairy tales as trivial, childish, or unrealistic. Some readers focus only on similar plot points and fail to realize the importance of deviations among adaptations. Other people assume that fairy tales are not applicable to modem readers. Still others think that because we tell fairy tales to children, adults have nothing to learn from them. We all know the stereotypical outline: Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a prince. He goes on adventures and falls in love with a girl--a beautiful girl, the girl of his dreams. He brings her home and they have the most magnificent wedding the land has ever seen. Isn\u27t that how these stories always go? Boy and girl meet, their lives change as they find true love, and that\u27s the end of that. The world carries on and nothing much changes. Surely there is no deep, underlying value. Why have fairy tales existed for hundreds of years, then? Why do people cling to them, passing them down for generations? Why does Disney keep basing films on fairy tales? I would argue that fairy tales are crucial for the human spirit, rather than frivolous stories for children. They teach us the necessity of diligence, the importance of empathy, and the value of love. Perhaps most importantly, they teach us that good really will triumph over evil someday. They give us hope. In order to grasp the importance and the impact of fairy tales, we must also understand how adaptations work. Many of the stories we know so well have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Susan Ohmer claims that the story of Cinderella dates back to ninth-century China (231). Because people adapt tales that have already seen countless adaptations, readers must understand that adaptations are their own entity rather than corruptions of the originals. In this thesis, I will discuss the various ways in which people adapt stories, as well as the implications that these adaptations have. As fairy tales travel across time and place, people adapt them to their own cultural needs. That fact makes it worthwhile to examine what different fairy tales mean to different cultures. These stories seem like they could take place anywhere at any time, but their authors actually had specific locations in mind. If the tales are specific, they have a specific meaning. Fairy tales gain approval from each audience. ln studying their meanings, we can come to understand the value fairy tales had for their particular audiences and what modern readers can learn from them. My title Twice Upon a Time suggests that these adaptations enable each original tale to speak cross-culturally to all audiences

Gardening and Reading

Just as I grew up with gardens, I also grew up with books. I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. My dad once told me that as soon as I could walk, I would bring books (particularly Pajama Time and Puppy Peek-a-Boo) to him and coerce him into reading to me. I consider myself lucky: I had parents who made it their mission to grow and nurture a love for books in their oldest daughter. They did so by filling our bookshelves

Inside the Zoo: Captive Giraffes’ Changes in Social Ties Throughout Membership Variations

Many animals live in gregarious, fission-fusion societies where group size and composition are continually changing. Despite this, many studies have suggested that captive animals are capable of maintaining long term social bonds with others. In captive giraffes, effects on their social bonds during membership transitions have not been studied thoroughly, however, prior research does show that social bonds are a defining factor in non-captive animals. Captive giraffe social network patterns were investigated at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens using all occurrence behavioral data. Based on previous research, I hypothesized that when one of the individuals in the group was removed, the previous significant social ties would remain significant. Specifically, I expected there would not be significant changes within the group in how they interact. Furthermore, I expected same age groups and same sex groups to be defining variables across the two data sets, in regard to social organization. The data was analyzed using R’s package StatNet and SNA to develop their social network patterns and determine if there is any significance. There were significant social ties found within some members of the group before Sir Isaac was removed, but after his removal no significant ties were found. There was also a significant difference in the rate of interactions between same sex individuals when the two datasets were compared. Furthermore, there was significant reciprocity within both datasets. These results imply that there were in fact differences in individual social ties with the removal of Sir Isaac. Limitations include that this was a case study and there was no breeding male. The aforementioned results hint at the fact that captive giraffes are not exhibiting the same behaviors as wild giraffes

Undergraduate Research: The Jetmore Food Center

The Jetmore Food Center aids the community by providing food to the citizens of Jetmore. In general, the majority of those that shop in the Jetmore Food Center are above the age of 40, but the store serves to customers of all ages. The store opens at 8 A.M and stays open until 8 P.M at night six days a week. In the past, stores in Jetmore closed at 6 P.M every day and closed on Sundays. This caused problems for many residents of Jetmore, as many work in Dodge City and did not return to Jetmore until the evening. Like most small town’s grocery stores, the Jetmore Food Center donates food and drinks to the school, the hospital, as well as clubs and organizations that hold special events in Jetmore. Once again, aiding and partaking in events in the community further strengthens townspeople’s confidence in their local grocer, which in turn helps a store succeed. Also, unlike chain stores, the profit dollars made from a small-town grocery store circulate back into the community. Without a doubt, the Jetmore Food Center keeps Jetmore a successful small town in Kansas. From offering quality food at reasonable prices, to providing jobs for the youth and teaching them vital skills for adulthood, the Jetmore Food Center is the lifeblood of the community of Jetmore

Studies in abdominal surgery

Great judgement is necessary in the selection of cases suitable for operation. First, one would not 'think of operating', in moribund cases. Second, again in malignant cases as a rule one does not operate unless an early diagnosis is made, when the disease is dis¬ tinctly localized, not having had time' to infiltrate the surrounding tissues,'' asi' for example, early malig¬ nant disease of the bowel where one can excise the mass thoroughly, or in another class of cases where,' not with a view of eradicating the disease, but rather relieving the' symptoms operation is frequently justifi¬ able as for example,- Gastro Jejunostomy in Pyloric Cancer or Inguinal C'olotomy for Rectal Cancer. The existence of Septicaemia negatives operation,' unless by operation you can remove the cause; also does Grave Cardiac,: or Pulmonary or Renal disease. So also does' extreme age of the patient.The co-existence of pregnancy with other abnormal Abdominal conditions frequently confronts the Surgeon, who has to decide whether operation is justifiable or not. If the condition is one that can wait a few months without running any grave risk to the. Mother, such as a small fibroid or small Ovarian Tumour, it may be well to wait and watch the symptoms. Should the ovarian give rise to disturbing symptoms which may probably lead to abortion, operation should at once be undertaken. Frequently urgent cases are met with where a pregnancy is complicated with an ovarian Tumour, with a twisted pedicle or a ruptured Cyst with suppuration of its contents, or inflammation of Vermiform Appendix followed by abscess. In these cases operation is imperative

Bosch Reactor Development for High Percentage Oxygen Recovery from Carbon Dioxide

This next Generation Life Support Project entails the development and demonstration of Bosch reaction technologies to improve oxygen recovery from metabolically generated oxygen and/or space environments. A primary focus was placed on alternate carbon formation reactor concepts to improve useful catalyst life for space vehicle applications, and make use of in situ catalyst resources for non-terrestrial surface missions. Current state-of-the-art oxygen recovery systems onboard the International Space Station are able to effectively recover approximately 45 percent of the oxygen consumed by humans and exhausted in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Excess CO2 is vented overboard and the oxygen contained in the molecules is lost. For long-duration missions beyond the reaches of Earth for resupply, it will be necessary to recover greater amounts of constituents such as oxygen that are necessary for sustaining life. Bosch technologies theoretically recover 100 percent of the oxygen from CO2, producing pure carbon as the sole waste product. Challenges with this technology revolve around the carbon product fouling catalyst materials, drastically limiting catalyst life. This project successfully demonstrated techniques to extend catalyst surface area exposure times to improve catalyst life for vehicle applications, and demonstrated the use of Martian and lunar regolith as viable catalyst Bosch Reactor Development for High Percentage Oxygen Recovery From Carbon Dioxide materials for surface missions. The Bosch process generates carbon nanotube formation within the regolith, which has been shown to improve mechanical properties of building materials. Production of bricks from post reaction regolith for building and radiation shielding applications were also explored